TV highlights for the week of October 31...

Spookiness reigns tonight with Halloween creeping across the
screen from sitcoms to paranormal marathons. But the big winner these
days is football, kicking the new fall shows with double the viewers. If you’re
seeking alternative fare on television or want to hit the record button, here
are highlights to catch:

Monday, October 31

Will Ferrell: The Mark
Twain Prize at 9 pm on PBS

This annual gala pays tribute to “Ron Burgundy, anchorman,” and the other kooky characters in Ferrell’s repertoire. He will be honored by Jack Black, Matthew Broderick, Conan O'Brien, John C. Reilly, Andy Samberg, Ben Stiller, and Billie Joe Armstrong.

Tuesday, November 1

Ultimate Factories at 8, 9 and 10 pm on National Geographic Channel

An insider’s view of some of the greatest one-of-a-kind
factories from Ferrari to Harley-Davidson to Coca-Cola. At 9 pm visit Jack
Daniels and then BMW at 10 pm.

On my recent tour of the country’s oldest distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee,
the understated charm of the place felt like nothing had changed since the 13-year-old
Jack took over the still from a preacher whose congregation declared: It’s us
or the hooch.

My guide Mark showed us around the bucolic grounds, from
the cave with iron-free spring water to the rickyard where the mellowing sugar-maple
charcoal is created and finally the stacked barrels of Old No. 7. No tastings
but we got a powerful whiff of Tennessee’s finest, since he told us “it’s aged by scent.” So I asked the classic question.

“The origin of the No. 7 on the label is the stuff of
legends. What that number refers might be the batch or Jack’s seventh recipe.” Tune
it to learn the secrets of “The Angel’s Share” and more about this iconic site.

This is Spinal Tap at 10 pm on VH1 Classic

Turn it up to 11! This is the ultimate mockumentary. It’s actually more like reality but
that doesn’t make it less funny.

Wednesday, November 2

NOVA: The Fabric of the Cosmos at 9 pm on PBS

Why does physics attract kooks? “It’s about ideas that rock their world,”
explained physicist Brian Greene, who returns with his latest science series
for dummies. Tonight he investigates “expanding space.” I asked Greene if the
sci-fi and fantasy craze is fueling increased interest in the field. “Just the
opposite. This isn’t science fiction. It’s real. What’s at the forefront of
science is exciting. And there’s an untapped hunger and increased appetite that’s
taking root.”

Which makes this stuff all the spookier. Brian Greene will show
how real science has proven that matter can be in two places at once. After a
stunning peek at show excerpts, I asked if high-tech advances improved the
visuals. “The software makes it easier now than ten years ago with the Elegant Universe. It makes it more convincing to show abstract concepts in an imaginative way.” The outstanding metaphors are what make the show's complex ideas understandable to laymen. Green’s mother watches the show. “But she wished I’d become a doctor.”

Catch this mind-blowing show the next four Wednesdays.

Thursday, November 3

Bones at 9 pm on
FOX

The premiere of the new season opens appropriately this week with “The Memories in the Shallow Grave.”

Friday, November 4

Give Me the Banjo at 10 pm on PBS

Part of the Fall Arts programming, comedian Steve Martin shares
his passion for the most cornball instrument on earth. He narrates the history
of the banjo and American roots music. Guests include Taj Mahal, Béla Fleck, and
the Carolina Chocolate Drops.

Saturday, November 5

College football on ABC and CBS vs. There Will be Blood at 8 pm on AMC

Other movie offerings: The Wizard of Oz at 8:30 pm on TBS, Led
Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same at 7 pm on VH1, with highlights of 1973’s
Madison Square Garden concerts.

Sunday, November 6

It’s wife night at 9 pm: Desperate
Housewives on ABC, The Good Wife
on CBS and The Real Housewives of Atlanta
at 9 pm

America in Primetime at 8 pm on PBS

“To the moon, Alice!”
TV fans, tonight’s episode dives into the “Man of the House,” from Ralph Kramden
and The Honeymooners to the
conflicted Ray Romano.

Masterpiece Contemporaryat 9 pm on PBS

Ah, modern masterpieces! This venerated series joins the 21 st century with Page
Eight, David Hare's spy thriller with a stellar cast: Bill Nighy, Rachel Weisz,
Judy Davis, Michael Gambon, and Ralph Fiennes.

Roberta Cruger has written for Salon, The Believer, the LA Times magazine, and more. She was the founding media editor of Creem magazine and a member of MTV’s original programming team. Based in LA, she covers the green carpet for Treehugger and entertainment as US correspondent for the AFP’s RelaxNews.